Building a great mix starts with organizing how you approach it. - From ModernBeats
To achieve the best mix for hip hop, break down your mix into a specific order
of steps as the Pro's do. The following mix methods will help you avoid rushing
or losing focus on achieving the best sound:
1) Place priority on mixing the drums & bass first. Achieving a solid drum
& bass foundation gives your mix a strong backbone. If you focus on the
drums and bass first, the rest of your mix will naturally fall into place.
2) Even though many producers mix the entire instrumental song before adding
in the lead and background vocals - it's a big mistake! After you've built the
drum and bass mix, move straight into placing your lead vocal tracks into the
heart of it. Build a solid mix with these 3 components before adding in your
other tracks.
3) After the drums, bass, and vocals are solid, add in your other melodic tracks
such as guitar, piano, strings, etc. Leave out any percussion or sound effects
at this point. Pan these melodic tracks around the lead vocal, finding a pocket
for each addition. Make sure not to compete for the lead vocals attention, but
instead support the vocals as complimentary.
4) Save the percussion and sound effects tracks for last. Typically it's wise
to pan these last tracks outside your drums, bass, vocal, and melodic tracks.
Use your percussion and effects tracks to fill in spaces in the mix that seem
unbalanced. By this step your mix should be well shaped and balanced
ModernBeats - Modern Toolz 4 Hip Hop Production
Related: Hip Hop Rap Music
Production
